Sanofi's Bird-Flu Vaccine Is Granted FDA Approval

Pulling together a vaccine stockpile is only one early step toward readying the U.S. for a possible pandemic flu strain. As of December, just 15 states were prepared to receive the Strategic National Stockpile, loaded with medicines and supplies, and distribute it, according to a federal assessment cited in a report by the Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit that monitors U.S. public-health preparedness. The report said half the states would run out of hospital beds within two weeks of a moderate flu outbreak, and 40 states would face a nurse shortage.